Fun times with Family

Two weeks ago, I went to New Jersey with the kids to help my parents get their house ready to sell as they will be moving to DC. We went through boxes upon boxes, took trips to the thrift shop, and threw a lot of stuff out. We got a lot done that week and my mom's been working hard everyday to get it staged perfectly for showings. It's not the greatest time to sell a house but we're hoping it'll go quickly so they can get settled in DC. My Dad is already spending the weekdays there and driving back home for the weekends. If you know anyone looking for a great house close to New York City, let me know! :)

Raking and blowing leaves in the yard.

Jumping in the piles.

Stomping down the leaves.

Blake loves to give kisses... he says "mwah!" even if he just hears the word and loves to give hugs and kisses before bed while saying "nigh-nigh, nigh-nigh!"

Not sure what was going on with the no shirts in this picture...Cooking with Grandma

The cats are finally getting braver and will actually come out of hiding when the kids are around. I guess they realize that we're here to stay. :)

We ordered Chinese after a long day of work one day.

Taking a bath in Grandma's tub.

I think there was a little too much water but they loved swimming around in it. :)

MOPS PLAYDATE:

My mom is the Mentor Mom for her MOPS group and hosted a playdate at her house one morning. Natalie and Blake loved having all the kids to play with but didn't like having to share their Grandma (see them both on the couch next to her!)

Cute baby Asher. Natalie is getting really excited about our new baby and notices babies everywhere.

A few minutes after this picture, one of them opened the front door and they all ran out in the pouring rain. None of us moms even knew about it until one of them came back in all wet! Aye yay yay! Later that night when we were talking about it, Natalie said, "Remember when that girl went out and got "soaped and wet?" (soaking wet).

Weekend at the Yoders:

I drove to the Yoders on Friday so we could spend time with Chris (Brian's brother) and Michelle and their kids, Allie and Adam. Chris just got back from Iraq last month. Grandma and Grandpa and Bethany watched all four kids for us on Saturday so we could go to the Penn State game together. Thanks so much! It was a very wet and rainy day but we had a great time.

Michelle took lots of pictures and I'll post some more later.

We brought Brian back with us for the rest of the weekend. The kids hadn't seen him a week so they (and I) were happy about that!

Coloring Cousins Spinning each other in the chair.

Blake and Adam... smile boys!

We headed home Sunday night... both kids fell asleep on the way... It's been a fun week but they were ready to get back home!

The First Snow:
We got tons of snow this week and the kids were so excited about it. Big change from Hawaii weather!! They did see it last Christmas but I'm not sure they really remembered it. It's snowing again today and we are enjoying the beautiful white blanket outside. While we loved Hawaii, we are definitely enjoying the seasons!

Chris and Michelle's Visit:

They came over to our house this weekend so we could spend some more time together. We had a great time watching the last Penn State game (can't wait for the Rose Bowl!), eating pizza and lots of Buckeye Balls and the kids totally enjoyed each other.

Uncle Chris tickling Natalie

Thanks for coming up guys... it was so fun! Maybe you'll be closer to us soon...? :)

Daddy and Natalie

The girls playing with letter puzzles before bed.

All four kids before church. So cute!

Family photo shoots after church...

Cute Cousins!

Happy Thanksgiving! We are grateful for you! :)

A mouse, a scarecrow, squirrels, donuts, pumpkins and swings!

We went Trick or Treating at an assisted living home with our MOPS group. It was a lot of fun for both the kids and the residents. Natalie was a mouse this year and Blake was a scarecrow although most people thought he was Robin Hood. He wouldn't keep his hat on at all! Oh well.

Blake is very friendly and walked around smiling and trying to talk to everyone who looked his way.

Making sure Blake was getting some for his bucket too. :)

Although I think he'd rather play checkers.

OUR TRICK OR TREATING:We went around our neighborhood too.

I love this picture. :)

Blake still wouldn't keep his hat on, but at least he kept the little hood thing on to keep him warm. It was a cold night!

Brian's favorite part... raiding the buckets after the kids were in bed!

Helping herself to a snack... probably looking for the candy!

"Who me? I didn't do it!"

WEEKEND AT THE YODERS:

Making donuts with Grandpa

Rolling them in cinnamon or powdered sugar.

We had dinner with neighbors Ed and Ginny that night.

When she went to bed, we could hear her singing to her Lamby. When I went in later, she was sleeping with him around her neck still.

SQUIRREL HUNTING:

Bill got one right out front before they even started out and brought it in and skinned it. Natalie thought it was so cool. The pictures are kind of graphic though so I'll spare you. Both Blake and Natalie loved the fried squirrel at dinner... I wasn't so brave to try it... maybe one day. :)

Grandma and Natalie

Being Silly

Natalie and Bethany

PUMPKIN CARVING:

For those of you asking for belly pictures... here's some. Can't believe I'm 6 months already. Our little guy is going to be here before we know it!!

Brian read somewhere about cutting out a hole from the bottom to be easier to get the seeds out and also you can just place it over the candle instead of reaching in. It worked pretty well plus there's no cut marks on the top of the pumpkin.

I made a traditional one and Brian made a PSU one.

Go Nittany Lions! :)

NEW PLAYGROUND:

They are almost finished with this little playground by our house so went to check it out. They still need to put the rubber chips down but other than that, we're happy to have one close by!

Blake's used to "baby swings" but I set him on this anyway... he wasn't too sure about and then Natalie, being the big sister she is, gave him a push... and he fell right off and was definitely not happy with this swing!

I know that was a lot of pics... I'm caught up now. :) Til next time...

Something to think about...

I was just reading Dan Nold's (the pastor of the church we've been attending) blog and had to share this entry as we head into Election Day tomorrow.
Remember to Vote, but most importantly, remember that Jesus is Still King!

Halloween, Politics and the Church
I’m just spending a little time trying to ponder the differences between Halloween and this political campaign…can’t think of many. Everyone has their hands out; most people are wearing masks; and if it weren’t so funny, it would be kind of scary! :) But beyond that let me take a moment and hit two other common intersections between Halloween, politics and the church.

SAYING THANK YOU. With each of my children, whenever they have gone into our neighborhood trick-or-treating. My number one instruction has always been — Never forget to say thank you. Whenever someone gives you candy, always say thank you. Too be honest, I think a political season should always cause the church to pause for a moment and say thank you to God. We live in a nation where ideas are freely expressed and leaders are freely selected. In many countries around the world, elections are a sham and wicked leaders bring unimaginable levels of suffering to the people — places like Myanmar. As challenged as we feel, we should say thank you to God for the place we live.

THE CHURCH DIVIDED. Some Christians think Halloween is a harmless kid’s activity. Some think it is the devil’s holiday. And I’ve seen some Christians divide over their views on Halloween. Some think Jesus is a republican. Some think Jesus is a democrat. (But both know that He’s not a libertarian.) :) And I’ve seen Christians divide over political views. All I can say is, please don’t. If you vote, vote as you feel God is leading you to vote and trust that other followers of Jesus are doing the same. When Halloween/Election is over, they will know that we are Christians…not by our costumes or our votes, but by the love we have for each other.

So the candy is gone. election day is coming….let’s put away the maks and celebrate the fact that no matter what else happens, Jesus is still King.